Katzensteig Waldbrunn – Odenwald und Neckartal
Katzensteig Waldbrunn – Odenwald und Neckartal
4.5
(31)
112
hikers
Katzensteig Waldbrunn – Odenwald und Neckartal
08:30
28.1km
920m
Hiking
At almost 630 meters, the Katzenbuckel is the highest mountain in the Odenwald. It goes without saying that ambitious hikers want to climb the extinct volcano, right? On this 28-kilometer circular hike, you do just that and discover other pearls of the Neckartal-Odenwald nature park.
The challenging and varied tour starts at the Eberbach Nature Park Center. And right at the beginning there is a steep climb ahead of you. After all, there are more than 900 meters of altitude to be cracked today. You can take a first breather at the ruins of Eberbach. You continue to march uphill and as a reward for the climb you have mastered you can put your legs up briefly on the shore of the Katzenbuckelsee.
You still have to climb a few last meters, then you stand on the highest point in the Odenwald. To fully enjoy the panorama, you can climb the 18 meter high observation tower and look over the wooded peaks and ridges of the Odenwald. With good visibility you can even see the Taunus in the distance. There are several speculations about the origin of the name of the Katzenberg. One says it is simply due to the shape of the mountain, which is supposed to be reminiscent of a hunched cat.
There are still a few kilometers to go, so let's go on. In a nice up and down you hike through the wonderful nature, mainly on shady forest paths. When you arrive at your destination Neckargerach, you can relax for a while on the banks of the Neckar or reward yourself with a cozy stop. With the S-Bahn you can get back to Eberbach in a good ten minutes.
by Touristikgemeinschaft Odenwald
Last updated: May 31, 2024
Waypoints
Powder Tower, Eberbach
Highlight • Monument
Translated by Google •
Tip by
2.16 km
Eberbach castle ruins
Highlight • Castle
The castle ruins can be reached from a forest car park on Neue Dielbacher Straße, or via a hiking trail from the center of Eberbach, the so-called Katzensteig.
It is believed that the front castle was built in the first half of the 12th century and the central castle, including the front castle, in the last third of the 12th century.
The rear castle was not explored until 1959–1963.
In his book "A Tramp Abroad", the American writer Mark Twain describes the castle ruins as strange but spectacularly announced because the boat operator on the Neckar linked them to a dragon saga.
From the front castle you have an impressive view over the city of Eberbach and the Neckar valley.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
6.96 km
Lake Katzenbuckel
Highlight • Lake
Showing Translation
Tip by
7.82 km
Cat hump tower
Highlight • Viewpoint
Showing Translation
Tip by
26.0 km
Waldsee Neckargerach and Picnic Area
Highlight • Lake
Translated by Google •
Tip by
28.1 km
End point
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
20.6 km
2.17 km
1.69 km
1.67 km
1.04 km
890 m
Surfaces
10.6 km
9.79 km
2.73 km
2.71 km
1.79 km
446 m
Sign up to see more specific route details
Sign up for free
Elevation
Sign up to see more specific route details
Sign up for free
Weather
Powered by Foreca
Saturday 30 May
24°C
14°C
69 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 19.0 km/h
to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route
This route was planned by komoot.
Nearby routes
Trail Reviews
My tour from 2 years ago as a video (the route is still up to date)😊: https://youtu.be/QuRZww5zaAc About the route: The first 2/3 are decent to good, the last third is unfortunately a bit long, especially when it starts to rain like today 🌧️ Overall, I like the route because there is a lot to see: a castle ruin, an old ski jump, summit happiness on the highest mountain in the Odenwald, beautiful views and beautiful scenery 🥰😊
The Katzensteig has been on my to-do list for a long time. I've hiked parts of it many times, but not all the way from Eberbach to Neckargerach. Today was the day. Started in Eberbach, it first went up to the ruins of the Eberburg, further past Waldkatzenbach to Katzenbuckelsee and then up to the tower. The prospect is improbable again and again. How beautiful is the Odenwald. But no wonder that the area around the Katzenbuckel is called Winterhauch was actually very fresh 🥶 Then on the Katzenpfad to Hosenlbrunn and on to Oberhöllgrund, here I had to take a detour, the actual path consisted only of mud and giant craters from the vehicles of the forest workers and since I didn't feel like slipping in the mud and landing on the seat of my pants, that's it a "little" detour Arriving at the bottom of the mill, we went up through the Höllgrund to Mülben. It's wonderful to walk, always along the Höllbach.
Today it went high! 😄 After my Neckarsteig adventure last year, I really wanted to come back to conquer the Katzenbuckel. 💪🏻 I couldn't imagine a better tour guide for this than dear @Ursula ! 🥾🪨🏃🏻♀️🏃🏼♀️🌳☀️ And so today we had a wonderfully entertaining tour on the "Katzensteig". The Katzensteig, which begins in Eberbach am Neckar, leads over a steep climb to the ruins of Eberbach. We continued on beautiful forest paths, the plateau to Waldkatzenbach. The "Villa Katzenbuckel" is certainly worth a stop - unfortunately it wasn't open when we came by. (A number of shorter tours around the Katzenbuckel are also signposted from here.) There is a geological educational trail ("path of the crystals") on which, among other things, the history of its formation is explained. From the former quarry at Katzenbuckelsee, the path then leads up to the summit and ends at the lookout tower. At 626 meters, the Katzenbuckel is the highest point in the Odenwald. The fantastic all-round view from the 20 meter high observation tower over the entire Odenwald was totally special and inspired us, despite the not entirely clear view. After that we continued to walk very comfortably in the forest down to the Höllbachtal. Then back up to the plateau and through the forest to the forest lake above Neckargerach. It is worth taking a break there. Our conclusion: A demanding, varied & well signposted tour on mostly pleasant forest paths! 🤩 The Katzensteig is a special experience & it is worth going on a discovery tour there!
Comments
March 29, 2021
At almost 630 meters, the Katzenbuckel is the highest mountain in the Odenwald. It goes without saying that ambitious hikers want to climb the extinct volcano, right? On this 28-kilometer circular hike, you do just that and discover other pearls of the Neckartal-Odenwald nature park.
The challenging and
Translated by Google •
Want to know more?
Sign up for a free komoot account to join the conversation.
Sign up for free